Joan Beringer

Offense

Joan Beinger is a long, springy athlete whose offensive contributions are rooted in energy, physical tools, and motor rather than polish or well developed skills.  Beringer lacks any real jump shot at this stage. While he’s not afraid to take the occasional midrange jumper, the form is rushed, stiff, and inconsistent, especially under pressure or off any movement. His shooting really isn’t close to being any type of viable weapon..

Where Berringer thrives is around the rim. He has explosive athleticism and is a quick, springy jumper who can can turn and jump almost simultaneous in order to finish inside, allowing him to rise quickly and score. He doesn’t have a wide array of moves and tends to go straight up, which can lead to awkward blocks or tough finishes.  However, he does show soft touch when not heavily contested. His fluidity and bend are impressive for a young big, indication he may have long-term offensive upside as he continues to develop.

Right now, calling Beringer even a straight line driving would be generous. He can put down maybe a dribble on his way to the hoop, but you do not want him handling the ball. When pressured or crowded, he’s prone to losing the ball or making rushed decisions.

Berringer’s offensive role is currently very limited: he screens and rolls, cuts and covers ground quickly to the hoop, crashes the glass, and can score out of  the dunker spot. That said, he does those things competently for an 17-18 year old playing against grown men in the the LIGA ABA and Eurocup.  And his hands are excellent as he is capable of catching tough lobs or low passes. He even flashed a few one-handed snags that almost looked like an NFL Wide Receiver,

Beringer thrives in space and so he does really well in transition and on lobs after cuts. He runs the floor hard and can get out ahead of defenders, leading to some highlight reel finishes. And again, he is very athletic, so with any space he can take off and dunk from just inside the free throw line even when jumping at an angle

Beringer also shows some promise as a rebounder. He uses his quick leaping, long arms, and fast reaction time to chase down misses on both ends. He doesn’t have the greatest anticipation, but can follow the ball and get to it quickly. His fast reflexes and good hands help here too  He can grab boards in traffic, tip in misses with one hand, and he’s not afraid to box out an offensive player when he’s close to the hoop.

Most of Beringer’s passes were pretty basic. Given he can’t really put pressure on the defense, most assists were rotating the ball or kicking out offensive rebounds. But he did have a few decent short roll assists.  If he can develop this skill, he could start to play a similar role to Jalen Duren in Detroit.  Still, even when he makes the right read, his accuracy is still shaky at this point.

Like a lot of young bigs, turnovers are a concern. They stem mostly from three areas: getting stripped inside especially when there is congestion, throwing inaccurate or telegraphed passes, and picking up offensive fouls on moving screens. He’s still plays sped up a lot and plays far more reactive than anticipatory.  He’s only played basketball for 3 years and it shows.  Hopefully over time he is able to have the game slow down for him as he grows his processing and skillset..

Defense

Berringer’s defensive potential is significant, built on elite physical tools, high effort, but he is still highly reactive.

Beringer has the speed, length, and explosiveness to make plays all over the court. He racks up blocks and deflections, both as a primary rim protector and weakside helper. His quick leaping and long arms allow him to cover ground rapidly and challenge shots rotating to help on the perimeter or out of drop coverage. And his blocks can be monster blocks.  He can probably learn to control them better at times to keep possession.  But they are still impressive to see a this stage.

He does a solid job already on P&R defense. He’s fast enough to hedge and recover or switch onto the ball handler for at least a brief time.. On pick-and-pop actions, he has the speed to close out, but he’s prone to biting inside or drifting too far, showing his need for more reps and improved recognition.

Two of Berringer’s more impressive defensive traits are his lateral speed and ability change-of-direction ability.  Can change direction well both north to south and east to west. Had some very impressive possessions guarding quicker guards and wings on the perimeter.  Even when beaten, Beringer has impressive recover speed and ability to turn and change direction without losing much speed. There were multiple possessions where he was beaten but recovered to block a shot from behind, a testament to both his motor and recovery tools.  His biggest issue right now is his inexperience and making better decisions to avoid biting on fakes and to take more efficient angles.  So the real question is if mental side of his game can catch up with his physical gifts as he gets more reps.

In help situations, Berringer’s rotations are hit-or-miss. When he reads the play correctly, he can tag a roller, recover to the paint, and even contest a corner shooter all in the same sequence and really impacts the other team’s ability to run their offense. Other times, he makes the wrong read or reacts a couple seconds too slow or takes an inefficient angle. The potential is obvious; the consistency isn’t quite there yet.

Beringer is also very young and still growing into his body. Stronger post players can lean into him and dislodge him or in an effort to prevent that Beringer could end up leaning on bigger FIBA players to stop their momentum and being vulnerable to spin moves and other counters.  Hopefully he can continue to add strength, so he can start to guard more straight up

His steal numbers are solid for a big. He has quick hands, long arms, and good anticipation when jumping passing lanes or deflecting passes and when he does pick off a pass, he’s fast enough he can grab it and take 2-3 dribbles (at most) for a dunk.